The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-09-15
BILL NYE AND THE MORMoNs.
a III

The Western Philosopher Takes
Glance at the Elder on Exhibition.
The great summer attraction at the
meseum seems to be a Mormon aggre-
cation under the auspices of Elder
Joshua Baker. Elder Baker is accom-
panied by three wives and pianist.
Joshua Baker was born in Kentucky
and afterward moved to Alabama. In
the latter state he was for some years
Method st preacher, but at the age of As
light suddenly broke in on darkened
understanding, and he embraced the
blessed promises and breaches of pro-
misses incident to Mormonism. He then
went to Utah, where one country, one
flag, and one w fe at time is not the
motto. He then entered into polyga-
nous relations with several additional
wives, until he had acquired enough to
maintain him in comfort.
Elder Baker sits calmly in a Bowery
museum during these long. hot days,
and by the sweat of his brow tries TO
earn an honest livelihood by advertising
his assortment of infamv. He may be
found there on raised platform, also
on bail Under the Edmunds law he
was arrested on the charge of polygamy
and served three months, SO that he
now comes to us rested and refreshed
from his ninety days of quiet in the
Zion pen.
AS a proof that large head is not
ALWAYS a guarantee of success in life, /
may here state that Elder Bakers head
is not large. His ears are powerful
and we'll balanced, but it would take
three or four brains like his to attract
the attention of hungry mackereL
Apparently Elder Baker only uses his
head to keep his ears from falling
apart.
1 attended the morning services at
the Mormon tabernacle at Salt Lake
five years ago, but do not remember
having seen Josh at that time. Some
thing about him, however, called up
memory of the occasion. Probably it
was a certain air of repose and miasma
that seemed to lurk about him.
The Baker family, according to the
programme, consists of twenty-four
children, four wives, and one husband,
but under the new law the elder has
| made an assignment of all his w.ves
but one. She can readily be disting-
uished by the look of deep gloom which
she wears. The others are neither
maids, wives, nor widows to any marked
degree, but pose as matrimonial mug
wumps, and look upon their herd of
thin, wailing children with apparent
regret.
Josh wears full beard, cropped
close, but long and searching look up
his coat sleeve did not reveal any evi-
dence of shirt. He is rather tall and
| wiry in build, with feet that must have
materially retarded the growth of grass
| in Utah while he was there.
The old man occupies one end of the
exhibition hall, surrounded by his
wives and his feet His children fill up
| the intervening space between the end
of the room and the Railway girl, who
still dumbly appeals to the spectator to
come forward and identify her so that
she can GO away.
The courts of Utah assigned to Elder
Baker as a wife a. large. powerful
| woman about eighteen hands high,
| whose hair insists upon unwind NC
itself and sticking out like the tail of
dlSdUicu Sl6cI lii uN N-tlIuC. IC Two
| other wives, who have been retired on
half pay. are not forming part of the
| elder family circle at present, but assist
at the exhibition for old acquaintance
| sake. The are not strikingly beautiful.
and probably will not marry again un-
less there should be a great mortality
among all the other women in the
world. In that case some man who
doesn't care much for beautiful scenery
might, between lucid intervals. marry
the more attractive one of the two.
The other one will probably remain in
statu quo, rounding up the thriving
young founding asylum bestowed upon
her by Joshua as slight testimonial
of regard.
A photograph of Elder Baker and his
family looks like the picture of pro-
sperous reform school in its senior year.
| [ could hardly refrain from wishing
that the old man had kept house this
summer down bv the p-roaring sea,
where 1 could have gone and boarded
with him and felt the refining influence
of home life. Twenty-four children
and ten mavericks. who would be
willing to leave their bread and molas-
ses in fine chairs, would make a man
with a pair of light, sensitive trousers
stick to simple diet all summer.
| BILL NYE.